A lovely portrait painting by Alfred Seifert of a young woman wearing a pearl necklace. The subject is depicted with her hair down and dressed in a pink robe with puffed sleeves. She is posed facing the viewer with her head turned slightly down to the side and holds a pink rose over her heart. In portraits, pearls symbolise purity whilst roses represent youth and beauty. The sitter bears a resemblance to another model seen in some of the artists other portraits.

Alfred Seifert was born in Praskolesy, Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) on 6 September, 1850. Shortly after his birth, the family moved to nearby Hořovice where he grew up. His talent for art became apparent whilst recuperating from a serious illness as a child. After his recovery, he was tutored by Karel Würbs the inspector of Estates Gallery at Prague Castle and the landscape artist Alois Kirnig (1840-1911).

In 1869, he was admitted into Academy of Fine Arts in Munich where he studied under Michael Echter (1812-1879), Alexander von Wagner (1838-1919) and Johann Leonhard Raab (1825-1899). During this time, he started producing portraits of women and developed his own signature style, focussing on heads of girls which became known as "Seifert type".

Many of his works are a study of the sitter's profile and are beautifully composed using harmonious colours and tones. His portraits of women often include flowers as in this fine example. In 1876, he opened his own workshop in Munich and started exhibiting in Germany and Prague.

He became a popular artist in Germany achieving success and spent most of his life there. He died in Munich on 6 February, 1901. Examples of his work can be found at the Laing Art Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne and the Rudolfinum, Prague.

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